5 Excellent Reasons to Eat Broccoli

Not only is broccoli one of the most nutritious vegetables around, but its cancer-fighting powers and potential for giving brain function a lift make it a must-eat food. Add the fact that it’s delicious, versatile, low in calories, and easy to prepare, and you have lots of reasons to enjoy it often.

1. Nutrition champ

Known as "the little green giant," broccoli is tops in the vegetable world for its nutrients. A cup of steamed broccoli is an excellent source of vitamins C, A, and K, as well as folate. Broccoli has other essential vitamins and minerals, fiber, and heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Steaming, stir-frying, and microwaving broccoli with a little added water will preserve the vegetable’s protective compounds, according to the American Institute for Cancer Research.

2. Cancer fighter

Broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables like cabbage, kale, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts have important components linked to cancer risk reduction, and they help regulate a system of bodily enzymes that fight cancer. In studies, cruciferous vegetables have stopped the growth of cancer cells in tumors of the breast, uterine lining, colon, liver, lung, and cervix, the American Institute for Cancer Research reports.

The American Cancer Society and other medical groups recommend that adults eat at least five servings of vegetables and fruit each day to curb their risk of chronic diseases.

3. Better together

With chicken. Broccoli contains sulforaphane, a compound shown to help prevent cancer. A deficiency in selenium has been linked to many kinds of cancer, and chicken is a good source of the trace mineral. The Institute of Food Research in Britain found that sulforaphane and selenium together are terrific weapons against cancer; their combined cancer-fighting properties are up to 13 times more powerful than either one alone. Getting sulforaphane and selenium from food instead of supplements is ideal since high doses of both can be toxic.

With tomatoes. The combination works so well because tomatoes are rich in lycopene, an antioxidant that neutralizes free radicals that can damage DNA, while the compounds in broccoli help flush carcinogens from the body, health experts say.

4. Fat Foe

Broccoli contains generous amounts of chromium, a mineral thought to be useful in weight control. Try broccoli in a satisfying low-calorie soup. Studies have shown that eating soup at the beginning of a meal can cut the amount of calories consumed in the rest of the meal by 30 percent.

Even when the calories are equal, a meal with soup is better for the waistline than a meal without soup. “People who eat one or more bowls of soup each day lose more weight than those who eat the same number of calories but don’t eat soup,” Dr. Maoshing Ni, a longevity expert, tells Suite101.com. For a nutritious, low-calorie recipe for Puréed Broccoli Soup from EatingWell.com,

5. Brain booster

If you want to avoid those “senior moments,” chomp on some broccoli. With its abundance of antioxidants, broccoli can help keep you mentally sharp. Researchers reported in the Annals of Neurology that older women who ate the most cruciferous and green leafy vegetables, like broccoli, experienced less cognitive decline than women who ate the least amount of veggies.

The women who consumed the most broccoli and other cruciferous veggies clearly outperformed the other women on tests that measured memory, attention, and thinking skills. The veggie lovers’ cognitive scores were more consistent with women one to two years younger.